O Son, Where Art Thou?
by That Dastard Cerberus
Summary: She never expected that being a mother would be so trying. Was this boy a beautiful accident or a fate-defying arrangement? (Hints to Gilber/GilgameshxSaber)
1. Chapter 1

**You all should know I have very poor control over writing new stories. :)**

* * *

 _O Son Where Art Thou?_

 _-Chapter 1: Birth of Jareth-_

Arturia looked at the liquid set before her with suspicion, raising an eyebrow at her adviser, and the great sorcerer, Merlin. The wizard ceased his stirring of the cauldron before him and met her gaze.

"Is something the matter, Your Majesty?"

He spoke her title in a playful tone, as he usually did when they were alone and her gender didn't need to be concealed. Arturia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Something is very much the matter, Merlin. You say this concoction will help me in giving my kingdom an heir, yet I hardly see how this golden potion can—"

Merlin raised a slender figure at her, a mirthful grin on his elven face. "By bathing in this, you will conceive a child. Simple, no?"

Arturia gawked at the wizard, wondering if he had finally lost his senses. "Conceive?" she repeated, having to say the word she thought she heard just in case she had misheard. She certainly hoped so.

Instead, her hopes were shot down when Merlin laughed. "Ah, my dear Arturia, you underestimate my magic."

Pulling away from the cauldron, he picked up the bucket of the golden fluid, his expression amused. "Listen well, Arturia, for I will only repeat this once. Within this potion lies the very essence of a legendary king whose name has been lost to history. During my travels, before your birth you see, I meant a necromancer who claimed you could revive ancient men who left an imprint on society.

"I had to test if what this man said was true, of course, so I traveled to an old tomb of a rumored king and attempted the ritual there. However, much to my dismay, the amount of mana I had tried to provide was not even enough to summon a fully realized spiritual form, let alone a corporal one. Even still, I saw the silhouette of a man standing before me, before my magic ran out and he faded."

He walked past her, still continuing to speak as he began to fill a large wooden tub with hot water. "Still, I kept the experience in the back of my mind, something to revisit later on. And well, when we were discussing the situation between you and your queen having no hope in conceiving a child, I remembered this little event and decided to try another method."

Taking a ladle from his lavender robes, he began to stir the bucket before gently pouring the golden liquid into the wooden tub. "As you know, fertility spells come in different shapes and sizes, but they all attempt the same thing. Making the subject fertile to aid in childbearing. Simple, no? Well, your case wasn't exactly simple, mind you. Having your body frozen in time, never once experiencing a period, I thought, no amount of magic in the world could help you. But then, during our little conversation, you corrected me, telling me you had experienced your circle before pulling Caliburn out of the stone. Upon hearing that, I knew hope was not lost.

"To change your sex, even if temporarily, was one idea I had thought of. At least you would have the ingredient you desperately needed to sire an heir, but doing such a spell can ridiculous and time-consuming to make, not to mention how it's temporary and might not last long enough for your queen to actually become with child. So!" He tabbed the ladle on the edge of the tub with satisfaction, the bucket empty before his feet. "I came up with an idea that is not only more error friendly, but would benefit your future heir immensely. Let me ask you, my King, does the pedigree of an heir to a kingdom matter?"

Arturia paused, then replied, "A son of a whore is considered a bastard's son first and for most. Also, marrying into a lower class or a 'lesser family,' if you could use that term, can matter in some cases. However, I hardly see why that would—"

"I agree." Merlin twirled around and pointed the damp ladle at her face. "A child's pedigree should ultimately not matter. But facts are facts that you need a man and a woman to procreate, and you, my dear, are not a man."

Arturia stared at him questionably. Then, slowly, her eyes widened in shock and she took a cautious step back. "No, you cannot be…"

Merlin merely smiled back, a wide, fox-like grin. "Oh, I'm afraid it's so, my King. If, as you mentioned earlier, wish to avoid the concept of the bastard's son, the child must come from you. And since turning you into a man would be too much of a hassle, I came up with an alternative."

Arturia, however, was having none of it. "Impossible! Even if I had experienced cycles before pulling the sword from the stone, I no longer can. So conceiving a child from my end is—"

"All I would need to do is give some life to your reproductive organs," Merlin replied with a hand wave. "Something I've already been doing for a week now in preparing you for this."

"What?" Arturia glanced at Merlin, then stared at the tub. It was now a glittering golden color, practically glowing on its own, even if the dim light of a fire place. Merlin chuckled, drawing her attention back to him.

"I would have thought you put two and two together, Arturia. We need a man and a woman to procreate, and really the only thing we need from the man is sperm. Sperm itself is made up of mana, after all, so at the end of the day, all I really need is some mana signature from a male candidate. Now, enough talking. Be a dear and undress. You have a long soaking to look forward to."

* * *

It worked. By God's divine Son, it worked.

Arturia had no idea how to process the news Merlin had confirmed to her. She had no idea what motherhood was like, nor was she even prepared to carry a child to term and give birth to it. And yet here she was, pregnant with Camelot's future prince.

Looking out the window of the tall, isolated tower, Arturia understood now completely why Merlin had requested she announce to her knights that she was going on a long trip and would need to advise from afar. She just hoped Camelot was still in one piece when she and her child finally returned.

* * *

During her (admittedly long) pregnancy, Arturia sent messages via specially trained owls and sometimes Merlin himself to her home. From secretly passed notes between her and her adoptive brother Kay, her sudden departure had thrown the sorceress Morgan up a wall. While she had no idea why, Kay seemed to absolutely tickled pink by the reaction and rambled for about three pages (the longest he ever willing wrote about any subject) about her activities and behaviors and how he found it all incredibly amusing.

According to Merlin, Kay did not know about the pregnancy idea, but he had followed faithfully throw with Merlin's orders on taking Arturia's queen to a remote location, to be hidden away from prying eyes in hopes of passing off the coming child as both hers and the king's.

Needless to say, Arturia did not enjoy being with child. As the child grew, it brought with it problems. An aching back, swollen breasts and feet, limited mobility once she was far enough along, and those ridiculous episodes of morning sickness. However, she did realize that this pregnancy forced her to slow down, to think things out, to relax her body and focus on her mental activities.

This gave her the chance to sit down (literally) and think about what this child will bring her kingdom. She would unashamed to admit she desired a son, as her kingdom would undoubtedly desired the same thing. Plus, the child would not need to conceal their gender as she had to. While she had no remorse over how her life played out, she was hesitant to force another to experience everything she had. No, for her, it was burden she chose to bear, and one she will bear again and again. But this was not something she wished upon her offspring.

She was about to begin crafting some ideas on just how to care for this child when she felt a kick in her stomach. Her hands immediately flew to her round belly, partly in surprise and another… in awe.

Her child… was moving.

* * *

Arturia… had no idea how strong a mother's feelings would develop during a pregnancy without once seeing the child. Every time the child moved, she found herself smiling, her hands caressing over the spots she felt movement. Her heart even raced a little whenever she felt the hearty kicks against her womb.

While she had not been expecting this, she was slowly beginning to enjoy the idea of being a mother. She started to look forward to the day when she would finally be able to meet her child face-to-face. She knew she was going to love the child, no matter what it looked like, boy or girl; she was going to love this small, beautiful life with all her heart.

* * *

Her son was born on a cold, stormy winter night. A large, strong, and rather loud infant she decided to christen Jareth. At first, he was a fussy, squirming baby, unable to stay still in Merlin's or Arturia's arms, eventually falling asleep after thrashing uselessly around. But still, as Arturia predicted, she loved her son the moment she saw him, even before Merlin announced he was a boy, even after she heard his wails and Merlin's complaining of the child possessing quite a pair of lungs.

It didn't matter. Her son was born, and he was her everything, now and forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Arturia was relieved to finally have returned home. The trek from the isolated tower to Guinevere's temporarily hiding place was long, but it did offer the king some final moments alone with her newborn son.

Stunning green eyes, just like her own, was framed by small wisps of pale colored hair. Her son took a liking to pulling and yanking at her hair, which she didn't mind. He had a firm grip, for someone so small and young, a sign of strength and health.

After the babe had been born, he was a fussy thing, refusing to drink his mother's milk for the first minute or so. It took even longer to settle him down enough to properly breastfeed him. As there was no one but Merlin and herself, there was no other method of feeding the child. So for the half moon, she was with her child, nursing him, watching him, and also preparing herself for the coming return.

Handing Jareth off to her wife was much harder than she thought. Once they returned to the castle, it was harder to catch glimpses of her child, and he was always with several people, many nursemaids and Guinevere and guards to protect the newly born prince.

Guinevere was told that Jareth was related to Arthur but did not state how. Merlin made sure to indicate that the Pendragon lineage is mysterious and the king would prefer not to disclose how they had happened upon the babe. She had been worried about using the cover story of Jareth being their biological show, but Merlin (who was doing most of the speaking) pointed out how the court may wish to meet the actual mother, and that simply wasn't possible.

In a sense, Merlin was spinning half-truths, as Jareth was indeed related to Arturia and it also was not possible to reveal just how Jareth came to be. It seemed that the Pendragon lineage wasn't just mysterious; they were covered in half-truths and unspoken assumptions, much like the king's true gender.

One fair evening, she found her wife trying to sooth the baby to sleep. Seeing a rare opportunity to interact with her child, Arturia entered the room and offered some aid to the tired queen. Doubtful, the queen handed her adopted son to the king, only to react in shock when the babe not only quieted down, but drifted off to sleep in a matter of moments in his "father's" arms.

This eventually became a reoccurring thing, and Arturia tried to make sure she had the chance to put her son to bed. It was the rare moment they could share together, and she did not wish to miss it at any cost.

* * *

Someone had attempted to take the young prince's life.

Arturia had been furious, and rightly so. The barbarian who had snuck into the castle walls was found and executed at the spot, no questions asked. The King of Knights personally didn't care anyways. She was even more furious over the fact that she had somehow fallen asleep prior to the encounter.

This… beast had attempted to steal the greatest light in her life, her precious son, from her. That was one action that she would absolutely not tolerate. The guard duty was increased, and for the first few days, Arturia had her son by her side, surrounded by her knights, around the clock.

It was unusual, all things considering, having the king drag "his" wife and child around the castle with "him" as "he" attained the many meetings, but this was "King Arthur" after all, the knights said dutifully. They all believed the king was merely overreacting because "his" sole heir had been threatened.

Eventually, her knights convinced Arturia to lessen her grip, and she did so, very reluctantly, however. She knew it was foolish to react so emotionally. After all, as king, she had other duties to attend to.

Just what had becoming a mother done to her?

* * *

Bright green eyes poked out from underneath her cloak, a hand covering a giggling mouth. Arturia held the robe up, arching a blonde eyebrow at her young son.

"And just what are you doing there, my child?"

Jareth muffled another giggle before edging back a bit. "Being sneaky."

Arturia smirked, pulling her cloak away from the boy. "Well, perhaps you should be sneaky in a less-obvious way." She departed, very much aware of the little pattering of feet behind her.

Moments later, she felt something bump against her back. She turned, hearing muffled giggles behind her.

She paused. Behind her?

She turned again, still hearing the giggles only behind her. She found her own lips twitching as she realized just what was going on.

Sighing dramatically, she said in a loud voice, "Oh dear, whatever could that have been? I could have sworn something was following me. Must have been my imagination." She continued to hear the giggling behind her, and internally, she too was chuckling.

Her son was adorable, in every sense of the word.

She continued walking, noting that the boy tried desperately to keep in step with her beneath her cloak. Trying not to grin, she suddenly whirled around, causing Jareth to yep and scurry quickly to remain under the cloak.

Good reflexes, she noted in approval, before whirling around again. The game of hide-and-seek soon became a game of tag when Arturia shouted, "I'm gonna get you!" to her laughing son, who had revealed himself after missing the cloak.

Grabbing the small boy, she lifted him and blew a raspberry on his cheek, which caused him to squeal and squirm in her arms. "Father, stop!" the boy managed to croak through his laughter, and Arturia relented, placing the boy down.

After catching both their breathes, she shooed him away, telling him to return to his mother. The young prince did so, but after several times turning around and eagerly bidding his "father" goodbye.

Once the cheerful kid was out of sight, Arturia's face fell. He was getting bigger, she noted, realizing that this time she had a harder time keeping him in her arms. Soon he'll be a man… Was Arturia herself ready for that?

"You spoil the lad too much," a voice spoken behind her. Turning her head to see Lancelot approaching, Arturia sighed softly.

"He is my sole heir, and I rarely see him. Do you find it wrong of me to spend what little time I can spare with my son?"

Lancelot gave her a look. "It is more than that, my king. But I am not a parent myself, so I will reserve judgment on my part." He bowed humbly before her.

Arturia gave him a tired smile before turning. "Come. The other knights wait for us."

* * *

"Can a woman be a father?"

Arturia tore her gaze from the night sky to look down at her son. Jareth was giving her a curious look, his green eyes wide and innocent.

Arturia admitted honestly, "There's a possibility, I suppose. Why do you ask, Jareth?"

Jareth shrugged. "Well, you are my father, but you are also a woman. That's why."

Arturia's eyes widened in shock. How..? But before she could question him, he gawked at her expression. "Oh! Was that a secret?" He clapped his hands and held them up, in a pleading sort of motion. "I'm sorry, Father! I won't tell a soul! Please don't be angry!"

Arturia realized her son was more than just playful and adorable. He was incredibly intelligent. She still had no idea on how he found out, but she would ask later.

Placing a hand on his head and ruffling his blond hair a bit, she smiled. "No, it is fine. I am not angry. However, it is indeed a secret, one I do not wish for you to disclose to anyone else, understand?"

He nodded warily.

Seeing the fear still in his eyes, she sighed, leaning down and embracing the boy tenderly. "This is my burden as king, and it is not a burden you need to weigh yourself down with. Please, do not be afraid." She pulled back and regarded her son with a playful look. "Truth be told, I am rather surprised you found me out. What gave me away?"

Nervously, he shifted a bit before replying, "It's… uh, your face."

Arturia arched an eyebrow. "My face?"

Jareth nodded eagerly this time. "Y-yeah. Whenever you look at me, you don't look at me like the others. You got this… motherly look, I think. I've seen how other parents act and you act more like a mother than a father, um…"

"Was that all?" Arturia was somewhat surprised he took it like that. Her knights and wife merely took her attitude towards her son as "spoiling" rather than "being motherly."

He shook his head. "No, not just that. It's other things too. But all of it combined—"

"Revealed my true gender to you?" she finished. Jareth once again nodded. "Uh-huh."

After hearing the things he noticed, little, insignificant things that only someone who spent a lot of time with her would have the chance to note. Things she never even allowed to be relieved around her knights, but, she noted, she was probably far more lax around her own offspring.

Chuckling softly, she congratulated him and then ushered him to bed. Before leaving the room, however, she looked directly into her son's eyes, a gentle warning leaving her lips.

"You are very intelligent, my child. That mind of yours seem to catch things far quicker than most, but I must warn you that you guard your tongue more carefully. People are always listening, and sometimes there are things we are better off not knowing the truth of, or things we are simply better off not speaking." She smiled gently and kissed his forehead. "Be wary, my son. For the wolves hunt at night."

* * *

 **I forgot to post this. I have no excuse.**


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